good evening. it's great to have you with us here on a saturday night, and we begin with what seems to be a backwards weather picture emerging. record warmth across much of the east. take a look at the map. out west in phoenix, it will be right around freezing. reno, nevada, 9 degrees. back east, pittsburgh will be 66 tomorrow. 30 degrees above normal. columbia, south carolina, nearly 80. and in california tonight, farmers, like this one near fresno, are struggling to save their crops from the cold. standing watch at night. some farmers with fans blowing warm air on their field. meteorologist ginger zee standing by with what's causing this. but first, clayton sandell is in the heartland. >> reporter: overnight, temperatures again fell into the 30s in southern california, farmers are working around the clock to protect multimillion-dollar citrus crops. >> we have a defense system set up for the cold.

to try and protect whatever we can, but also, mainly to keep the field warm. >> reporter: at the beach in santa monica, tourists wondered what happened to the sunshine? >> we expected it to be a little bit warmer, but my mom just came back from san francisco a month ago, so she told me, it wasn't as hot as we could imagine. >> reporter: that cold now pushing east. storms slamming parts of utah with almost 4 feet of snow. >> it was really heavy. >> reporter: temperatures from montana to minnesota, never got above 0. for the broncos/ravens playoff game in denver, toe warmers and layers, all part of the game plan. >> two pair of socks, two pair of pants, believe it or not, i'm all in here. >> reporter: it may be hard to believe on a day like this, but the cold reality the planet is

getting warmer thanks to climate change. 2012, the hottest day ever recorded in the u.s. meaning over the long term, more days like this. here in denver, temperatures are 30 degrees colder than average. the fans at today's sold-out game, have to be die-hards, because the high temperature only 16 degrees. david? >> clayton, thanks to you. ginger zee is here with us. what's behind all of this? >> this is an arctic cold front. atlanta broke records. they were 76. haven't done that in 123 years. look at the map for tomorrow. this is going to continue. we play game, find the cold front? it's not that tough. new york city and washington, d.c., will be close to 60. it's going to be really a warm day. d.c. closer to 70. the cold air is staying in

phoenix around and below freezing through midweek. >> you're getting reports of severe weather already? >> we have heard tornadoes reported. we'll get more images coming in. but i have seen some. it's incredible what this clash of air masses can do tonight. tonight, arkansas, under a tornado watch until midnight. >> you'll have the pictures on "good morning america." the battle against the flu tonight. what the cdc is now calling an epidemic the flu has spread to 47 states. and this evening, in some parts of the country, pharmacists with the vaccine are turning some patients away, saving it for the most vulnerable. because so many people are coming in to get it. here's abc's john schriffen. >> reporter: tonight, many around the country are desperately seeking for what seems like a golden ticket, the flu vaccine. doctor's offices and pharmacies filled with patients. hoping they're in luck. >> i was here yesterday and

a gentleman came in and there was one left. he was a senior citizen, and i thought, shouldn't he have it more than me? >> reporter: in new york the governor has declared a public health emergency. is there enough to go around? my name is john schriffen. i'm calling from abc news. we reached out to a popular pharmacy chain here in new york city and got this response. >> currently, we only have the flu shot for the elderly, the ones that are 65 and up. >> reporter: that pharmacy's parent company, walgreens said select locations may experience shortages. but they're working quickly to restock every store. cvs dealing with the same shortage issues. >> today, we could possibly be getting 30 doses. but that could be gone in 20 minutes. >> reporter: according to the essential fers for disease control, the flu has now spread

to 47 states. if your local pharmacy is out of the flu vaccine head on over to flu.gov. and it will tell you where to go. if you come into the pharmacy with flulike symptoms, doctors say, be careful not to double up on over-the-counter medications. david. >> john, good to keep in mind. i want to bring in dr. jennifer ashton, you heard john report there, some pharmacists turning some patients away, saying 65 and older. that's going to make people nervous out there. >> let's go through the numbers, david, there's still vaccine available. this year, there were 135 million doses made, about 128 million were shipped out or distributed. that's about 95% of the supply this year. believe it or not, they started to work on next year's. i ran out in my office. i called and i got a shipment on thursday.

>> itt was a week ago, we were talking about children. two more pediatric deaths. you also learned of a shortage of medicine for children. >> we're seeing a shortage in the antiviral vaccine tamiflu in its liquid form. and that's the form give on the children. due to a shipping delay from the manufacturer. they're literally opening capsules and mixing it at the appropriate dose for children. but, again, we're waiting for those shipments to reach the pharmacies. >> something that you told us in the newsroom today that struck me, how long members of family are contagious? children are contagious longer than their parents. >> absolutely. this is the thing about influenza. adults and children can be contagious a day prior to beginning of symptoms. children even longer than that. more than a week. if your kids are sick keep them home. >> great advice, dr. ashton. thank you. we're going to turn now to washington, where the white house is getting closer now to

revealing its plans on gun control. it's expected to come as early as tuesday, in the meantime tonight, gun enthusiasts are getting in line. abc's david kerley at the white house. >> reporter: some americans can't buy guns fast enough. this is manchester, new hampshire today, a line around the block for a gun show. as abc news first reported a record 2.5 background checks in december. the national rifle association boasting a record number of members. all in anticipation of new gun laws. >> very well. >> reporter: questions have also been raised about violent movies and video games. the makers of video games cite research, which finds no evidence that exposure to violent video games is connected to violent crime. these were the last executives to meet with biden who asked for their help. >> as this president said, diminish the possibility, even if it only saved one kid's life as a consequence. >> reporter: biden is expected to recommend reinstituting the

assault rifle ban. one was passed in 1994 as part of a crime bill and expired ten years later. its effectiveness is still being debated. universal background checks. right now, checks are only conducted when a gun is purchased at a retailer. this would close the so-called gun show loophole and go farther, requiring a check for any private sale of a gun. and limiting magazine clips. some call it a "war on ammo," banning high-capacity clips, limiting them to possibly ten rounds. the national rifle association is having none of it. >> i think that's a real threat to their second amendment rights and we intend to do all we can to protect them. >> reporter: much of the country may be outraged. but an expert on gun laws wonders if that's enough. >> i think a likelihood congress will enact a sweeping set of proposals to gun control now is unlikely, but i think it's possible. >> reporter: now, the vice president is expected to make his recommendations on tuesday as you mentioned, david,

and he's also going to suggest that the president may be able to do some of this on his own through executive orders. david? >> making a lot of people nervous. first thing in the morning, george tackles it all with his powerhouse roundtable on abc's "this week." we turn to italy now. costa concordia survivors are arriving at the island. with that anniversary here, the italian cost guard are now releasing new images. new details as well to finally take that ship away. abc's lama hassan on the story, back on the case tonight. >> reporter: stunning infrared video released today shows the frantic and chaotic rescue operation the night the costa concordia ran aground. passengers scrambling down the vessel's side desperately trying to escape. a year ago, tomorrow, this massive 492-foot liner was navigating through shallow waters when it hit a rock ripping open a 230-foot gash across the hull.

haunting images as we saw for ourselves. today, it is still lying on its side. an italian american company is in charge of the salvage operation with more than 400 engineers and divers working around the clock. it's a complicated operation. officials say they have to construct an underwater platform to rotate the ship, pull it upright and keep it floating. then, they'll tow it to the mainland this summer and dismantle it. the captain of the ship says he's been portrayed as worse than osama bin laden. he faces charges of manslaughter and abandoning ship. if he goes to trial and is found guilty, he could spend 20 years in prison. lama hasan, abc news, london. >> lama, our thanks to you. back home tonight, many eyes will be on cyclist

lance armstrong who will sit down with oprah in the coming weeks on a campaign to rehabilitate his reputation. >> reporter: in his last interview with oprah nearly two years ago, lance armstrong got a hero's welcome. now disgraced and labeled as a cheater, he'll face a much tougher audience next week when he sits with her again. but if as expected, armstrong confesses to doping it will likely come after the statue of limitations of perjury ran out. following this strong denial under oath. >> if it can't be any clearer, i have never taken drugs. >> reporter: still an about-face could land him in serious hot water. he's still facing a suit that's tightly under seal and threats from a promoter that wants $7.5 million back. and yet, armstrong texted the ap, i told oprah to go wherever she wants and i'll answer the questions directly, honestly and candidly.

>> he's setting himself up for more trouble. and he's in loads of trouble now. >> reporter: many believe in doing so, in confessing as a last-ditch attempt to get back into competitors sports, they say that's the only reason why he may be doing this. >> thank you so much. still much more ahead tonight -- the eye-opening comments from a well-known kennedy who turned to dallas 50 years after the assassination of president kennedy, was it all a conspiracy? at a dry cleaner, we replaced people with a machine. what? customers didn't like it. so why do banks do it? hello? hello?! if your bank doesn't let you talk to a real person 24/7, you need an ally. hello? ally bank.

your money needs an ally. do you often experience the feeling of a dry mouth? it can be the side effect of many medications. dry mouth can be frustrating... and ignoring it can lead to... sipping water can help, but dentists recommend biotene. biotene moisturizes and helps supplement some of saliva's enzymes, providing soothing relief when you need it most. don't ignore dry mouth... look for biotene in your oral care section today. this has been medifacts for biotene. hey america, even though slisa rinna is wearing the depend silhouette briefs for charity to prove how great the fit is even under a fantastic dress. the best protection now looks, fits and feels just like underwear. we invite you to get a free sample and try one on too. and you see the woman you fell in love with. she's everything to you. but your erectile dysfunction - that could be a question of blood flow. cialis tadalafil for daily use helps you be ready anytime the moment's right.

you can be more confident in your ability to be ready. and the same cialis is the only daily ed tablet approved to treat ed and symptoms of bph, like needing to go frequently or urgently. tell your doctor about all your medical conditions and medications, and ask if your heart is healthy enough for sexual activity. do not take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain, as this may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. do not drink alcohol in excess with cialis. side effects may include headache, upset stomach, delayed backache or muscle ache. to avoid long-term injury, seek immediate medical help for an erection lasting more than four hours. if you have any sudden decrease or loss in hearing or vision, or if you have any allergic reactions such as rash, hives, swelling of the lips, tongue or throat, or difficulty breathing or swallowing, stop taking cialis and get medical help right away. ask your doctor about cialis for daily use and a 30-tablet free trial. constipated? yeah. mm. some laxatives like dulcolax can cause cramps. but phillips' caplets don't. they have magnesium. for effective relief of occasional constipation. thanks. [ phillips' lady ] live the regular life.

phillips'. this year will mark the 50th anniversary of one of america's darkest day, the assassination of john f. kennedy. half a senchly later, a well-known kennedy has visited dallas and offer some thoughts. on that fateful day. here's abc's alex marquardt. >> reporter: in the wake of president john f. kennedy's death, his brother robert was reeling, struggling to understand how it could happen. >> there is the weapon that was used to kill the president. >> reporter: and privately rejecting the lone gunman theory of the warren commission, which he reportedly called a shoddy piece of craftsmanship. this, according to robert kennedy jr. who surprised a dallas audience last night at an event ahead of the 50th anniversary of the assassination of his uncle there. the evidence at this point is very, very convincing that it was not a lone gunman, he said.

he was quote, fairly convinced. >> this was a military-style ambush from start to finish. with lyndon johnson waiting in the wing. >> reporter: the 1991 hit film "jfk" fueled and explored conspiracy theories around the evidence. >> i don't find them credible. it's been investigated. reinvestigated again and again. and no one has ever come up with entirely credible evidence. >> reporter: robert kennedy jr. also thinks his father, who was attorney general at the time, felt some guilt, because he believed there could have been a link with his aggressive work against organized crime. david? >> so rare we hear from the kennedys on that day. thank you, alex. when we come back on the broadcast, the famous johnny cash. the contestant who came up with

something else. copd includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema. spiriva helps control my copd symptoms by keeping my airways open for 24 hours. plus, it reduces copd flare-ups. spiriva is the only once-daily inhaled copd maintenance treatment that does both. spiriva handihaler tiotropium bromide inhalation powder does not replace fast-acting inhalers for sudden symptoms. tell your doctor if you have kidney problems, glaucoma, trouble urinating, or an enlarged prostate. these may worsen with spiriva. discuss all medicines you take, even eye drops. stop taking spiriva and seek immediate medical help if your breathing suddenly worsens, your throat or tongue swells, you get hives, vision changes or eye pain, or problems passing urine. other side effects include dry mouth and constipation. nothing can reverse copd. spiriva helps me breathe better. (blowing sound) ask your doctor about spiriva.

introducing a revolutionary new mascara. clump crusher...crusher. 200% more volume. zero clumps. new clump crusher from easy, breezy, beautiful covergirl. to volunteer to help those in need. when a twinge of back pain surprises him. morning starts in high spirits, but there's a growing pain in his lower back. as lines grow longer, his pain continues to linger. but after a long day of helping others, he gets some helpful advice. just two aleve have the strength to keep back pain away all day. today, jason chose aleve. just two pills for all day pain relief. try aleve d for strong, all day long sinus and headache relief. helps provide many with, day and night relief of heartburn symptoms caused by acid reflux disease. there is risk of bone fracture, and low magnesium levels. side effects may include headache, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. call your doctor right away if you have persistent diarrhea. other serious stomach conditions may exist. don't take nexium if you take clopidogrel.

ask your doctor if nexium, the purple pill, is right for you. find out how to save on nexium at purplepill.com. i've always kept my eye on her... but with so much health care noise, i didn't always watch out for myself. with unitedhealthcare, i get personalized information and rewards for addressing my health risks. but she's still going to give me a heart attack. that's health in numbers. unitedhealthcare. we're going to turn now to our "instant index" here on a saturday night. and to our picture of the evening. a historic artifact

uncovered right here in new york, that triggered a bomb scare this revolutionary war period of cannon loaded and ready to fire. bomb squad found nearly 2 pounds of active gun power had been stored in a shed. it's at least 233 years old. came from a british warship that was sunk in new york's east river. our quote tonight is actually something that we can't repeat here and it comes from that robot made famous on "jeopardy." watson. >> watson? >> who is henry the viii? >> you are right again. >> the visit with me behind the scenes with watson. i tried. researchers thought they would add internet slang to his vast computer vocabulary, the result, the robot that started speaking like the rest of it. they weren't able to stop watson from using profanity. it had to wipe slang from his database. and we turn to our video tonight. a moment that cost a "wheel of fortune" contestant

a giant win. we have all heard this song. ♪ because you're mine i walk the line ♪ >> this was painful. this woman, so close. so many of the letters revealed. missed the answer by offering this as the title of the song. >> i'll solve the puzzle. >> go ahead. >> "i have the wine" by johnny cash. >> that is not correct. i'm sorry. >> oh, it's "i walk the line." not i have the wine. she might have the wine now. i would. when we come back here on the broadcast tonight -- the countdown to the crowning of miss america later tonight. so many of you weighing in on the young woman that you met last night here. miss montana. in a moment, the other young women who overcame giant hurdles to walk across that stage tonight. ♪ that over time, having high cholesterol and any of these risk factors can put them at increased risk

for plaque buildup in their arteries. so it's even more important to lower their cholesterol, and that's why, when diet and exercise alone aren't enough, i prescribe crestor. in a clinical trial versus lipitor, crestor got more high-risk patients' bad cholesterol to a goal of under 100. [ female announcer ] crestor is not right for everyone. like people with liver disease or women who are nursing, pregnant or may become pregnant. tell your doctor about other medicines you're taking. call your doctor right away if you have muscle pain or weakness, feel unusually tired, have loss of appetite, upper belly pain, dark urine or yellowing of skin or eyes. these could be signs of rare but serious side effects. ♪ is your cholesterol at goal? talk to your doctor about crestor. [ female announcer ] if you can't afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help. [ male announcer ] how do you turn an entrepreneur's dream... ♪ into a scooter that talks to the cloud? ♪ or turn 30-million artifacts...

♪ into a high-tech masterpiece? ♪ whatever your business challenge, dell has the technology and services to help you solve it. i you're suffering from constipation, miralax or metamucil may take days to work. for faster relief, try dulcolac laxative tablets. dulcolac provides gentle relief overnight unlike miralax and metamucil that can take up to 3 days. of using toothpaste to clean their denture. but dentures are very different to real teeth. they're about 10 times softer and may have surface pores where bacteria can grow and multiply. polident is specifically designed to clean dentures daily. its unique micro-clean formula kills 99.9% of odor causing bacteria and helps dissolve stains, cleaning in a better way than brushing with toothpaste. that's why dentists recommend polident. [ male announcer ] polident. cleaner, fresher, brighter every day.

i took theraflu, but i still have this cough. [ male announcer ] truth is theraflu doesn't treat your cough. what? [ male announcer ] alka-seltzer plus severe cold and flu fights your worst flu symptoms, plus that cough. [ sighs ] thanks!... [ male announcer ] you're welcome. that's the cold truth! the countdown is on to the crowning of miss america, here on abc. so many of you tweeting me after meeting miss montana, the "person of the week" here last night. tonight, the other young women overcoming the odds, too. we took you backstage in las vegas, to meet alexis wineman, miss montana, with all of the others as they compete for the crown. but her journey unlike any

other, her family telling us the stories of the little girl unable to relate to the little girls at school, the hours spent alone, she had autism but they didn't know it. the teacher who once said i don't get paid enough to handle this. but 11 years old, finally answer. a diagnosis. no one thought she would make it here. i'm david. good to meet you. at 18, alexis has defied the odds. the first contestant with autism to compete in miss america. she came with a message for other children with special needs. what do you say to other young people who feel alone? >> i wish they would embrace themselves for who they are. >> reporter: and when she didn't have any friends growing up, i heard you had one best friend? >> oh, yes. in the fourth grade, i had a giant winnie the pooh doll. >> reporter: winnie the pooh,

still loyal today. there are so many young women here who have defied the odds from small-town america. from ohio, miss fallen timbers. miss wyoming financing her own journey. on this day, she's getting ready for a fund-raiser. we also learned that, after tonight's pageant, miss district of columbia will go home for a preventive double mastectomy. a rare and brave move to prevent the breast cancer that killed her mother when she was 16. she told our lara spencer that they shared the gene. >> this is my mom. she's beautiful. ? her mom will be in spirit. miss montana will be in the back of theater, too. >> she won. she was here.

sorry. >> you never thought that this would even be possible? >> absolutely not. this is beyond anything we ever thought. >> i do think about the kids. i hope they're watching. >> and pooh bear is watching. >> pooh bear is watching. i know. >> good luck. >> thank you so much. >> thank you. tonight, right here, pageant confidential, the road to miss america, followed by miss america. starting at 8:00 p.m. eastern. i'll see you tomorrow night. good night.

>> hundreds gather to remember a petaluma teen. >> the temperatures are dropping. how low they will go this weekend. we have the forecast. [cheering] >> 49ers fans aren't letting the cold keep them down. we have all the fan excitement. abc7 at 6:00 starts now. >> ama: another cold night ahead, and records could break as this cold snap stretches into another day. good evening, and thank you for joining us. let's begin with leigh glaser. >> leigh: we'll go ahead and check the live doppler 7hd. it's a clear sky out there this evening, folks, winds not as brisk as this time last night, an indication these temperatures are going to drop more so tonight. freeze warnings, 2:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. tomorrow morning, for the north bay, east bay interior

valleys and santa clara valley. the locations you say in the dark purple. the lighter shade of purple it's a frost advisory. and that's for the bay shoreline until 8:00 a.m. tomorrow morning as well. remember, vegetation, plants, crops, pets, pipes, make sure you cover them. bring the pets in overnight. here's a look at the anticipated lows. mid-20s for napa and santa rosa, antioch, 27. 30s near oakland as well as san francisco. how much longer will the cold be with us? we'll look at the seven-day forecast later. >> ama: coming up, going to extremes because of the cold. what some people are doing to stay warm tonight. the weather isn't keeping 49er fans down tonight. at it do or die as the 49ers take on the green bay packers. we have team coverage with excited fans, beginning with john alston outside candlestick